Traffic Message Channel (TMC) and other traffic services deliver traffic information to customers. Traffic incidents and traffic flow are reported through broadcasts. Traffic delays may be caused by one or more of congestion, construction, accidents, special events (e.g., concerts, sporting events, festivals), weather conditions (e.g., rain, snow, tornado), and so on.
In some areas, broadcast messages contain up-to-the-minute reports of traffic and road condition information. These systems broadcast the traffic data over traffic message channels on a continuous, periodic, or frequently occurring basis. Traffic message receivers decode the data and provide up-to-the-minute reports of traffic and road conditions.
Traffic data may be used for other functions besides real time traffic broadcasts. Traffic data may be used for prediction models. In addition, historic traffic data may be used for city planning, construction routes, and other municipal functions. Historic traffic data sets may be very large and challenges remain in packaging the historical data efficiently.